Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Christmas leftovers recipes

After the festive storm has passed, our kitchen cupboards are often still groaning under the weight of excess nibbles – the crisps, nuts, olives and chocolate. Here are a few clever ways to use them up

It's central to the tradition of British Christmas catering to over-provide. The fear of being under-stocked when friends and family arrive is a profound one, and most of us, myself included, would rather need help to get the fridge door shut than have to confess to running out of something. Such largesse is all well and good, of course, provided it doesn't lead to wastage – which is where another of our fine festive customs, the using up of leftovers, comes into play.

Creating tasty dishes out of a bit of this, a bit of that, yesterday's excess and a tin of something from the cupboard is absolutely my bag. It's one of my favourite ways of cooking, because it's so liberating. The pressure's all off; you're simply working with what you've got, rather than having made an investment (financially) in ingredients or (emotionally) in the ideal of some kind of classic recipe. And the fact that dishes conceived on the hoof in this way can rarely be precisely repeated is somehow all part of their charm.

I could write several features on the kind of meals I like to conjure up with festive leftovers (which do not, by the way, include turkey curry), but I'm going to confine myself instead to an under-explored area: the nibbles. The nuts, the olives, the bits and bobs from the cheeseboard. If you're anything like me, a couple of weeks of yuletide entertaining generally means there are a fair few packets of crisps and some soon-to-be-stale peanuts left uneaten in the cupboard. Such crumbs are often overlooked, left to moulder until the next spring clean of the larder. But this is a mistake, because the whole point about nibbles is that they are piquant and punchy, often a bit salty, indeed frequently packed with those deeply savoury umami flavours that are so hard to resist. Added to a dish, rather than eaten on their own, they can totally do the business.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, of course, so it's important to start with nice nibbles in the first place. Good plain crisps rather than Monster Munch, for instance, top-notch cheese and decent olives, which, for me, generally means stone-in and oil-cured. Just as there's little point using a wine that's too awful to drink in your cooking, you will also get disappointing results if you chuck into a sauce a jar or three of antipasti you didn't really want to eat in their original state.

Beyond that, however, have a bit of fun. Take these ideas as a guide only – fiddle with the quantities a little if you want to, or depart from the recipes altogether if you prefer. Think outside the packet. Use olives to make your own tapenade, transform leftover nuts into homespun nut butters by blitzing them in a processor (some juicers will do this as well). There's no reason not to use your ingenuity on the tail ends of the sweet treats, either: why not melt down the last few chocolates in the box to make a sauce for ice-cream or mix that last quarter-jar of mincemeat into a simple sponge or muffin batter for festive fairy cakes? And if all else fails, remember that it's very hard to beat a good crisp sandwich.

Crisp omelette

Yes, this is a crisp omelette. And very good it is, too. I admit to having pinched the concept from Ferran Adrià, chef/proprietor of the famed El Bulli, but it was my idea to add the cheese! A finely sliced onion, gently sweated for 15 minutes until tender and golden before the eggs go in, gives you a cheese-and-onion crisp omelette – which is funny, as well as delicious. Serves two.

Beat the eggs thoroughly. Add the crisps and turn them lightly in the egg, breaking them up as little as possible as you go. Season with some pepper – the crisps should contribute enough salt.

Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in the egg and crisps. Cook for two to three minutes, lifting the edges of the set egg from time to time, so the remaining wet egg can run into the gaps. When the omelette is mostly set, with just a thin layer of wet egg on top, sprinkle the cheddar over the top and flip one side over on to the other, so it's folded in half. Serve straight away, if you like your omelette a bit runny in the middle. Or cook for a further couple of minutes, turning once, if you like it more set. Serve with a simple green salad and some bread.

Chocolate, peanut and raisin shards

The combination of salty peanuts, sweet chocolate and chewy raisins is nigh-on addictive. You can also make these with dark chocolate, dried apricots and slivers of coconut. Makes 12.

200g milk chocolate50g salted peanuts, roughly chopped50g raisins

Line a baking tray with nonstick baking parchment or silicone paper.

Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a heatproof bowl. Place this inside a larger bowl containing some just-boiled water (or over a pan of simmering water, if you prefer). Leave, stirring from time to time, until melted and smooth, take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Stir a third of the nuts and raisins into the chocolate. Carefully pour the nutty chocolate on to the lined tray, and spread as thinly as you can using a palette knife – you should be able to get it to roughly the area of a piece of A4 paper. Scatter the remaining peanuts and raisins all over the top of the chocolate.

Leave to set in the fridge, then carefully remove from the paper and break into shards with your hands or a knife. They'll keep, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to two weeks.

Pasta with olives and chicory

This lovely, simple pasta supper is a great way to use up the Christmas olives, as well as that half-empty tub of crème fraîche in the fridge. It's also delicious, with just enough richness to raise your spirits on a cold, dark day. Use any pasta you fancy. Serves four.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt it well, add the pasta and cook for the time suggested on the pack.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and let it just start to fizz in the oil. Before it gets a chance to brown, add the chicory and olives. Cook them gently for five to eight minutes, until the chicory is wilted but still has a bit of crunch in the middle. Add the crème fraîche and stir until it has heated through and coated the chicory and olives.

Drain the pasta, then combine with the sauce. Season to taste, and dish up. Serve with freshly grated parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Blue cheese dressing

If that whole stilton proved a little overgenerous, here's a scrumptious way to use it up. Trickle this creamy, slightly retro dressing over crisp, bitter leaves, slivers of pear and crunchy walnuts for a cleansing January lunch. Alternatively, use it as a dip for crudités. These quantities make enough to dress a salad for four to six.

100g stilton (or other flavoursome blue cheese), rind removed

A scrap of crushed garlic – about a quarter of a clove

3 tbsp plain, wholemilk yoghurt

2 tbsp olive oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Crumble the cheese into a bowl, add the garlic, yoghurt and oil, a good grinding of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mash roughly together, then use a stick blender to whiz to a smooth purée. Taste and add more lemon juice or black pepper if needed. You can add salt, if you like, but the cheese will probably have contributed enough. Serve straight away or chill until needed.